


Dancing Around These Fragile Feelings

by after_midnightmunchies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Homecoming Dance, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 12:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13189884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/after_midnightmunchies/pseuds/after_midnightmunchies
Summary: Class president Allura is tired of Keith and Lance bickering in the middle of her student council meetings! The easiest solution? Task them both with creating an unforgettable Homecoming Dance!





	Dancing Around These Fragile Feelings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sasuhina_gal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasuhina_gal/gifts).



> Whoop, happy holidays, Sasu!! I hope you enjoy! <3

The bang of a gavel silenced the restless classroom. Allura stood at the helm of the assembled representatives, eyes twinkling eagerly.

“Alright everyone, I know we’re all excited about HOCO next month, so let’s get right to business!” She pointed her gavel at her vice president, the senior leaning in a relaxed position against the desk beside her, arms crossed and head bowed. “Shiro, how’s the Homecoming Game looking?”

Shiro’s head popped up, eyes wide. “U-Uh, it’s um… good?”

Allura’s expression fell into a disappointed frown. “You haven’t even started selling tickets, have you?”

Shiro raised his hands in self-defense. “You do realize that I’m not only taking college classes, but am also _captain_ of the team, right?”

Allura rolled her eyes. “And I’m captain of the cheerleading squad, volleyball team, debate team, _and_ taking the same classes as you. What’s your point?”

Shiro fumbled for a response, eventually hanging his head and leaning back against the desk in resigned defeat. “I’ll get on it as soon as possible,” he mumbled.

“Hunk, would you mind helping Shiro with game preparation?” Allura pleaded, grin returning when the junior nodded. “Perfect! I have a list of what needs to be done that I’ll go over with you after the meeting.

“Now then… Matt do you have the themes for the week up on our site yet?”

“Affirmative!” Matt saluted, a blush coloring the senior’s cheeks.

Pidge rolled her eyes and tugged her brother back into his seat. “The newspaper committee is also printing it on their front page as we speak. And the production crew plans to announce it every broadcast starting next Monday.”

“Perfect! And how’s our budget looking?”

The freshman treasurer adjusted her glasses as she scrolled down a spreadsheet on her iPad. “We’ve been approved for two thousand dollars. I’ve delegated five hundred toward the homecoming game, a thousand to the dance, and two hundred to activities through the week. The three hundred remaining can go wherever there’s a lack, though I’d rather save it until closer to the week just in case.”

Allura applauded the brunette’s work with a proud flair. “That’s brilliant, Pidge, thank you! I wish we’d had you last year – that was budgeted so terribly that I’m surprised they even gave us funds this go around!”

“Serves us right for putting Rolo in charge of money,” Hunk quipped, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, though in hindsight, we should’ve noticed the $200 makeup charge as being suspicious,” Keith huffed, arms crossed.

“What do you mean? Makeup is expensive!!” Lance shrieked from beside him, a hand on his chest in offense.

“Yeah, but he had no business using _our budget_ to buy his girlfriend all of that shit!”

“She made it look really fucking hot though,” the Cuban boy sighed wistfully.

“Need I remind you that she also handcuffed you to the stage trusses and stole your wallet?”

“Hey, I don’t tell _you_ how to have a good time!”

“Boys!” Allura’s gavel struck the desk again. “Can we get through _one_ meeting without you two at each other’s throats?”

The juniors in question exchanged malicious glances before shaking their heads at the class president.

Allura sighed, clenching and unclenching her fists. “Very well, then how about this? I’m assigning the two of you to lead the dance preparations. _Together.”_

The entire room erupted into giggles fit for a sitcom laugh-track.

“With all due respect, _Princess,_ I thought we were trying to avoid a disaster this year,” Lance scoffed. “Are you sure I can’t partner with Lotor? Keith’s fashion sense doesn’t give me much hope for his design choice.”

“You call a crop top and skinny jeans ‘fashion sense?’” Keith shot back incredulously, gesturing to Lance’s attire. “You look like you crawled out of a manga.”

“Well the 90’s called and said that they’re missing one of their punk artists! I mean, _fingerless gloves? Seriously?_ ”

“That’s enough, you two! You’re dismissed from the rest of this meeting!” Allura banged her gavel with finality, gesturing toward the door. As the boys grumbled obscenities at each other and gathered their bags, she added, “I expect to see some design plans from you by the end of the week, and if you come to me with nothing, you can kiss your spots on the student council goodbye.”

 

* * *

  

**Lance (7:32 pm): Hey.**

**Lance (7:38 pm): Look I wouldn’t be texting you if it wasn’t important.**

**Lance (7:44 pm): I’m trying to be the bigger person, damn it!**

**Lance (7:50 pm): Well fuck you too, then!**

**Keith (7:53 pm): I was washing my hair…**

**Keith (7:53 pm): Are you really one of those people who freaks out if someone doesn’t answer you right away?**

**Lance (7:54 pm): It took you almost half an hour to wash your hair???**

**Keith (7:55 pm): …I’ll take that as a yes.**

**Lance (7:56 pm): Sorry, I’m still hung up on your hair. Do you have a specific routine or something?**

**Keith (7:58 pm): What do you want, Lance?**

**Lance (8:00 pm): Oh, right! I was going to ask if you wanted to work on plans for HOCO.**

**Keith (8:00 pm): Why?**

**Lance (8:01 pm): Because I don’t want to lose my seat on the council! I think Allura might finally be warming up to me.**

**Keith (8:03 pm): …**

**Keith (8:04 pm): Wait are you serious?**

**Keith (8:04 pm): How delusional are you? Have you been drinking?**

**Lance (8:05 pm): Wow, okay.**

**Lance (8:05 pm): Are we doing this or not?**

**Keith (8:06 pm): Uh, yeah. I’d rather not lose my seat either. College apps are only a year away.**

**Keith (8:07 pm): How do you want to do this?**

**Lance (8:09 pm): Would you rather start tonight over Facetime? Or we could work on it tomorrow after school.**

**Keith (8:11 pm): Tomorrow sounds good. I have an essay to finish.**

**Lance (8:11 pm): Tomlinson?**

**Keith (8:11 pm): Yeah.**

**Lance (8:12 pm): I got Hunk to help me with mine yesterday… need some inspiration?**

**Keith (8:15 pm): You’re not kidding?**

**Lance (8:16 pm): Ouch, do you really think so little of me?**

**Keith (8:16 pm): I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just surprised.**

**Keith (8:17 pm): But some help would be nice…**

**Lance (8:18 pm): Hang on, I’m emailing mine and the sample that Hunk got from Allura to you now.**

**Keith (8:21 pm): Got them, thank you.**

**Lance (8:22 pm): No prob. Just don’t plagiarize me or I’ll throw you under the bus!**

**Keith (8:22 pm): Not if I rat you out first!**

**Lance (8:22 pm): YOU LITTLE SHIT!**

**Keith (8:23 pm): Relax, I’m joking.**

**Lance (8:24 pm): …wow he has a sense of humor!**

**Lance (8:24 pm): A terrible one, but we can work on it! There’s hope!**

**Keith (8:27 pm): Right, well you can strategize while I go finish this essay. We can talk details about tomorrow in the morning.**

**Lance (8:28 pm): Sounds like a plan, partner! Happy writing!**

**Keith (8:29 pm): Thanks, goodnight!**

**Lance (8:30 pm): Night!**

* * *

  

The following afternoon, Keith plopped his bag and binder down onto the table, prompting the librarian to shoot an obnoxious “shush” in his direction. He slid into the chair with a frown, pulling his phone out to check for his companion’s ETA.

_Of all the idiots he could’ve gotten stuck with… Allura had to pair him with the one that he happened to have a crush on._

She and Shiro had to be plotting something, Keith was certain of it. He’d caught the barely-suppressed smirk that tugged at Shiro’s lips that morning when he’d told him about their after school arrangement. Contrary to popular belief, Shiro was a total dork and an awful liar.

“Hey! Whatcha thinking about?” Lance chirped beside him, smiling innocently at the librarian when he was also shushed.

Keith jerked back reflexively, wondering how he’d missed the Cuban teen walk up behind him. “N-Nothing, I was just about to text you.”

“Well, I made it in one piece, but I appreciate the concern.” Lance winked, slipping into the chair to Keith’s right. He dropped his bag onto the table in front of him, retrieving a tablet, two folders, and a set of multi-colored pens.

“How’d your essay turn out?”

Keith blinked, realizing belatedly that Lance had posed the question toward him. “Oh… it was good, thank you! Tomlinson called a few people out for having a weak introduction, so those samples you sent me were really helpful.”

“I’m glad.” Lance flashed a brilliant smile at him before returning to his supplies.

Keith watched, mildly impressed, as the brunet opened one folder and began to arrange apparent magazine clippings and printed images of various designs and color palettes.

“So I may have gotten a little excited last night…” he admitted after setting up his spread. “I have a few different themes and design options that we could potentially go with.”

“Don’t we usually just pick a generic theme like ‘Vegas’ and run with it?” Keith asked with a frown. He appreciated Lance’s enthusiasm, but if they couldn’t get it approved, he didn’t see a reason for them to take a risk with it.

Lance shrugged, lips downturned in slight disappointment. “We do, but those are so overdone! How many years has this school seen a ‘Vegas’ or ‘80’s’ theme? I say we set our own theme!”

“But what if Allura shoots us down?”

“Don’t be such a downer, Mullet! The worst she can do is say ‘no,’ and if she does, at least we showed her something.”

Keith wanted to argue further, but he could feel the excitement oozing off of Lance. And while instigating a dispute with him wouldn’t be atypical, he’d rather get _some_ work done before they inevitably got kicked out. “Fine, what do you have in mind?”

Lance’s grin brightened as he gestured to the articles gathered in a neat pile on the left. “Well here, I was thinking about a flower theme.”

Keith leaned in to skim through the small stack with a raised brow. “So what, you want a flower arch, corsages on every wrist, flower petals on the dancefloor…?”

“Please, Keith, what is this? A DCOM from 2002?” his companion scoffed in slight amusement. When Keith returned his pop culture reference with a blank stare, he sighed and shook his head. “Okay, wait, you’ve never seen a Disney Channel movie before?”

Keith shook his head again. Those were more Shiro’s taste than his. “I walked in on Shiro watching some movie that featured a military boot camp or something and it was grossly inaccurate.”

Lance’s gasp alone had the librarian on their backs again. “You take that back! ‘Cadet Kelly’ is a national treasure and I will fight you over that!”

Keith hid his face behind his hands as the population of the library turned to them with varying looks of alarm. “Lance, shut up!” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Can we have this conversation later?”

Lance rolled his eyes, but conceded. “Fine. We’ll work on broadening your horizons another time.”

Keith winced at the way his heart fluttered at the loose promise of another rendezvous. _Seriously, what was wrong with him?_

“So back to HOCO…”

“Yes!” Lance’s warm hands brushed his own as he pointed out little notes that Keith had missed upon first glance. “For the flower theme, I thought it would be cool to assign flowers to each station. Like dressing the photo booth with forget-me-nots, the DJ station with hibiscuses, the entryway with tulips, and so on.”

“That’s… actually a pretty solid idea,” Keith admitted with a small smile.

Lance’s cheeks flushed with the praise, eyes twinkling excitedly as he pulled another set of clippings from the folder. These displayed various staging designs in blue and red hues. Purples popped in here and there, and Keith couldn’t help but chuckle as he recognized the pattern.

“It looks like the bisexual flag,” he mused, laughing even harder when Lance pieced it together for himself.

“Holy shit, _that’s_ why I liked it so much,” the brunet snorted, tossing his head back in amusement. “Wow, really subtle!”

Keith’s giggles died down as he registered Lance’s words. “Wait, you’re not straight?”

The words slipped past his lips involuntarily, and he cupped his hands over his mouth as soon as he heard himself. But Lance’s gaze was already trained on him, brows furrowed.

“Keith–” His tone wasn’t disgruntled, but Keith was panicking too much to notice.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

“Keith, I’m not–”

“No, that was really rude, and I understand if–”

Lance’s hands grasped his own and squeezed gently, drawing his attention. The brunet’s lips were curled in… _amusement?_

“Dude, don’t worry about it,” he assured, thumb stroking the back of Keith’s hand soothingly. “I just want to know what about me made you think I was straight.”

Keith’s lips parted into a small ‘o.’ “I just thought… you always flirt with girls, so…”

“Are you kidding? I flirt with you and Shiro and Hunk all the time!” Lance gasped in mild offense.

Keith’s jaw dropped at that. _There’s no way that Lance was always flirting with him – he literally refers to him as his rival on a weekly basis!_ “I feel like you and I have different definitions of flirting…”

“And here I thought I was laying on the charm,” Lance lamented, hands cradling his head mournfully. “I mean, I’ve used some of my best material on you and you didn’t even notice!”

Whether it was Lance’s dramatics or just the inevitability of it all that brought the librarian to their table, Keith didn’t know. Regardless, they swiftly found themselves outside, Lance’s pictures haphazardly stuffed into the folder.

“Well, I guess we overstayed our welcome,” Keith mused, readjusting his bag.

“Did Keith Kogane just make _another_ joke?” Lance gasped beside him, _and yeah, it was definitely Lance’s dramatics that had gotten them evicted._

“That was my intention… Looks like we both have a lot to learn about each other.”

There was an unreadable expression in Lance’s eyes as he nodded in agreement. “Then I’d better start studying.”

Keith quickly ducked his head to hide his blush. _This was going to be a loooong week._

* * *

  

Somehow, he’d managed to make it to Friday without spontaneously combusting. It was as if Lance had taken his flirting comment to heart, sidling up beside him in the hallway to escort him to his next class, teasing him during their planning meetings, and texting him little pickup lines throughout the day. People had definitely taken notice, but no one was bold or interested enough to ask.

Allura, of course, picked up on it as soon as they strode through the door after school.

“Well, something’s different here…” she mused, eyes darting between them mischievously.

“What’s wrong, princess? Jealous?” Lance teased, a hand on his hip cheekily. His other arm draped itself comfortably around Keith’s shoulders, the latter not even flinching at the contact.

“Not at all.” She beamed like a proud mother before her face became more serious. “But let’s get down to business. What do you have for me?”

Keith set two folders onto the desk beside them, directing Allura’s attention to their contents. Each held a different floorplan and clippings related to a cohesive theme.

“We settled on two themes that we think the student body would love,” Lance began, opening the first and laying everything out.

“When Lance came to me with this flower theme, I thought he was being ridiculous,” Keith admitted with a small grin. “But as he described it and we developed it, I really started to warm up to the idea.”

Lance continued with his spiel, elaborating on each flower, its designated area, and its significance. Keith contributed here and there, but he was happy to let the brunet do all of the talking. Allura listened with rapt attention, her stoic expression not revealing any opinions.

“Then, we have…” Keith opened the next folder and began to spread out its contents as Lance rapped his knuckles against the desk in a mock-drum roll.

“A Halloween theme?” Allura asked skeptically, eyeing the costumes and fall decorum warily.

“We’d advertise it as more of a ‘harvest’ theme, but pretty much, yeah.”

“We thought it would be more relevant to the season, and it’s definitely more original than another themes,” Lance defended, coughing “Vegas” into his hand.

“Costumes would be optional, not mandatory,” Keith continued, “and we would crown both a homecoming court _and_ a spooky court. We also thought it would be cool to have spooky and formal versions of everything, budget-allowing, of course.”

Allura flipped through their spread, taking extra time to examine the floorplan. Keith tried to keep himself contained while Lance bounced on his heels in anticipation. Finally, Allura grinned up at them.

“This is outstanding, boys!” she praised, clapping her hands enthusiastically. “I’m really pleased with what you’ve put together, and on such short notice! And neither of you has said anything cruel to the other since you arrived.”

Her smile widened when they blushed and quickly looked away from each other. _Progress…_

“Now then, I want you two to get these to Pidge as soon as possible so she can set a budget for each theme. Then we will vote as a committee on Monday to see which theme we’ll run with. I would like you boys to handle all aspects of set up and execution from there.”

“Yes ma’am,” Keith nodded.

“It would be our pleasure, princess,” Lance bowed cheekily.

Keith rolled his eyes as he stuffed the papers back into their designated folders before grabbing his partner by the ear. “Come on, lover boy, let’s see if we can catch Pidge at the computer lab before she leaves.”

“‘Lover boy?’” Lance snorted, smirk never fading. “Aww, Keith, finally succumbing to my charms, I see.”

“Dream on,” the Korean boy scoffed as the door fell shut behind them.

Watching their antics, Allura couldn’t help but hope that her plan would come to fruition.

 

* * *

  

One week from the dance saw Lance and Keith at a Costco with $400 and a list of hors d’oeuvres and their ingredients from Hunk. They’d already blown $125 on party supplies, (most of which they’d have to assemble into proper decorations that evening). Now their mission was to secure as much food under their budget as they could using the school’s Costco card.

“Okay… frozens last,” Keith mumbled, eyes scanning the list carefully as Lance pushed the cart beside him. The brunet would periodically push really hard before jumping onto the bottom rack and riding the momentum, earning odd stares from mothers and looks of awe from small children.

“So what’s first on the list, then?” Lance asked, slowing enough to peer over Keith’s shoulder.

“To quote Hunk directly, ‘a shit ton of chips,’” Keith snorted, pushing the side of the cart in the direction of the right aisle. “Then, ‘a whole lotta salsa.’”

“Sounds pretty accurate,” Lance chuckled. “Remember how livid everyone was when we ran out of chips last year? The DJ hadn’t even played a slow song yet!”

Keith winced, recalling the mob that had almost formed very vividly. He didn’t even know where someone got a toy pitchfork from, but he’d been terrified for Kolivan and Thace when it popped up in the crowd. “Yeah, we do _not_ need a repeat of that.”

The second that the cart rounded the aisle, they began to gather bags of tortilla chips. Further down the aisle they found salsa and queso, throwing a few jars of each into the cart, as well.

“Alrighty, what’s next?” Lance asked, draping an arm across Keith’s shoulder.

“Chocolates!” Keith cheered, an eager grin on his face. The committee had elected to go with the Harvest/Halloween theme, which meant getting some chocolate and candies for “trick-or-treaters.”

Lance mirrored Keith’s expression, backing out of the aisle and spinning the cart toward the candy. “Think we can afford to grab a little something for ourselves?”

“As long as it’s _a little_ something, I don’t see why not,” Keith winked, a small laugh bubbling out of him when Lance nudged his shoulder.

“Now this is a Keith I can get behind!”

They sped to the aisle like it would disappear if they delayed, zipping past, (and probably angering), many unfortunate pedestrians in their quest. Rows of candy greeted them as they slowed to a stop, their eyes lighting up like children the further in they ventured.

“Did Hunk happen to specify which ones we should get?” Lance mumbled.

Keith shook his head. “We should probably stick with the variety packs, though.” He grabbed two bags of assorted lollipops beside him and tossed them in beside the chips to emphasize his point.

Lance nodded in agreement and moved to the shelves on the opposite side, plucking a few bags here and there and throwing them into the cart.

“That looks like it should be fine,” the Cuban stated after another minute, sticking a hand out to stop Keith from throwing another bag in. “Now kiss me!”

Keith’s wide eyes looked at the brunet in alarm as he set the bag of Lifesavers down. “W-What?”

Lance gestured toward the small bags of Hershey’s Kisses on the shelf behind him with a knowing smirk. “Kiss me!”

If anyone asked, Keith’s cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. He offered a sheepish laugh as he retrieved the package for Lance, hoping the other would let it go. Fortunately, he did, tearing the bag open and picking a kiss out with a mischievous grin.

“Shouldn’t we pay for those first?” Keith scolded with a raised brow and crossed arms.

Lance shrugged, genuinely uncertain. “My mama does this all the time whenever we go shopping, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem? As long as we pay for it in the end we should be fine. Now which candy do you want?”

Keith’s eyes roamed over the vast amount of options he had. “Hmm, tempting as it would be to just mooch off of your kisses–” he paused to snort at Lance’s indignant “hey!” “–I think I’ll go with a Snickers.”

Unlike his heathenistic partner, Keith threw the small pack of chocolate into the cart alongside the rest of their groceries. “Next up, we need bread, then cold cuts, cheeses, and veggies for the sandwiches.”

Rather than hire a caterer to make appetizers, Hunk volunteered himself and his culinary classmates for duty, provided all ingredients were paid for. On the menu were sandwich slivers, jalapeño poppers, and a few other small finger foods. They took their time in gathering the rest of the ingredients, ensuring to budget consciously.

On their way to the check out lines, they grabbed a whole case of sparkling cider to mix into the punch. Lance’s logic was that it would emulate the consistency of alcohol enough to dissuade people from trying to spike it. Keith just thought it would be a nicer twist than mixing it with Sprite.

Miraculously, their total remained under budget, even with the added drinks and chocolates! Lance rode their cart out of the store triumphantly, Keith complaining about his antics beside him.

“Come on, Keefers, it’s not like they can kick us out now! Why don’t you give it a try?” He stopped abrupted, grabbing Keith’s hand and placing it on the handle. Undeterred by the wary look shot his way, Lance set Keith’s other hand on the handle before flanking them with his own.

The older teen suddenly found himself boxed in, Lance’s chest pressed to his back. He tried to fix him with a withering look, but the hopeful twinkle in those blue eyes had him raising his feet onto the lower rack of the cart.

“Please don’t make me regret this,” he sighed, already bracing for the worst.

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Lance scoffed. He did start slowly, crossing the street at a moderate pace. Once they were clear of present danger, though, he turned on the jets, breaking into a run.

Keith squealed and gripped the cart tightly as Lance’s long legs had them speeding down the lot. Normally, this kind of adrenaline boost would delight the thrill-seeker side of him. However, the more rational side refused to let him forget that he couldn’t even steer this thing and that a car could back out of its spot and hit him at any given second.

“Lance, do _not_ let go!” he cried.

“Come on, babe, what do you take me for?”

Keith let the pet name slide as Lance’s grip teasingly slipped from the handles. “Lance, I swear to every deity, if you let me crash!”

 _“Relax,”_ Lance chuckled breathlessly. He did slow down slightly, allowing Keith to enjoy the ride before finally coming to a stop in front of his car.

With a small pout, Keith dismounted to help load the trunk. He’d actually enjoyed the wind whipping through his hair and tickling his cheeks. It was a feeling that he couldn’t enjoy while on his motorcycle – he wasn’t idiotic enough to forgo a helmet.

“Okay, get in!” Lance commanded as they shut the loaded trunk. He gestured to the empty space in the cart.

“No way. It’s my turn,” Keith countered. Lance’s eyes widened before his lips broke into a wild grin.

“Alright, Speed Racer, show me what you’ve got!” He leaped into the basket before Keith could even retort, long legs curled up to his chest.

Keith blinked at the brunet before laughing and shaking his head. He didn’t understand why his crush persisted, but he couldn’t even be upset about it. Locking the car doors again, he tucked Lance’s key into his pocket and grasped the handles.

Pushing off of his back leg, he broke into a sprint, steering the cart into a clear path before jumping onto the back. He leaned forward, nearly knocking heads with Lance as he whooped excitedly.

Emboldened, Keith picked up speed, aiming for the cart return. Lance hollered at any pedestrians, warning them to get out of the way. They zipped dangerously close to an off-duty police officer, the woman shouting profanities at them as they continued on their way.

It wasn’t until they were only a few feet away that Keith realized they were coming in too hot. Lance noticed it, too, hands grasping the sides of the cart and voice quaking. “Uhh… Keith…”

“I’ve got it!” The older teen leaned back, slowing their pace enough for him to safely lower his feet to the concrete and dig his heels in. The worn soles of his sneakers skidded in protest before finally catching, bringing them to a halt just before they crashed into a row of carts.

Lance released a dramatic sigh as Keith came to his side, offering a hand to help him out. “Were you _trying_ to kill me?”

Keith snorted, tugging the brunet out and to his feet when he clasped his hand. “Nah, just wanted to make you pee your pants a little.”

Lance grinned, patting his partner’s shoulder in amusement. “Well, hate to break it to ya, Mullet, but it’ll take more of a thrill to get me wetting my pants.”

Keith crossed his arms and smirked. “Challenge accepted. Now come on, we’ve got frozens.” He tossed the car keys to Lance before sauntering off.

 

* * *

  

The night of the homecoming game saw Lance and Keith sitting in the student council room finalizing details with Pidge. The freshman was calculating expenses and scanning receipts into her files, periodically double-checking the purpose of certain purchases with the boys.

“And we agreed that we aren’t hiring a DJ, right?”

“Nope, Shay’s brother, Rax, said that he’ll spin for us,” Lance confirmed. “He agreed to do it for the free exposure. And he’s _really_ good! I already looked over his track list for the party and it’s gonna be lit!”

Keith scoffed at the brunet’s verbiage, but he nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve seen him perform once before. Guy knows how to put on a show.”

“Sounds good. That’s already $300 that we’ve saved from last year…” Pidge jotted it down into her records. They’d also saved $500 in catering expenses having the culinary team on board.

Lance played with a stray thread on the sleeve of Keith’s sweater while they waited for Pidge’s final verdict. They still had to pay the hotel that was hosting them, and if they had enough wiggle room in the budget they wanted to rent a full sound system. The quote that they’d gotten wasn’t _too_ extravagant, but it would be an extraneous expense that they hadn’t budgeted for before.

A shudder ran up Keith’s spine as the tips of Lance’s cold fingers idly traced the thread up to his neck. “Lance, what the heck!?”

Lance’s fingers jerked away, but his grin remained in place. He didn’t even offer an apology, just moved onto another thread along the bottom of his torso. Keith didn’t miss the strange look that Pidge shot them before her typing resumed.

“Are you guys going to prom together?” she asked casually, eyes still trained on her screen.

Both boys stiffened in response, spluttering for an answer as they looked back and forth between each other. Keith could feel a blush radiating from his cheeks, Lance’s caramel skin just as flushed.

“I-I mean, we’ll be going together… like, to oversee and all…”

“Yeah, we’re going together, but not like _together,_ right?”

“Totally, just as bros!”

Pidge’s snicker drew their attention back to her. “Geez, a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ would suffice,” she teased. “Though there is a different energy between you two.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked curiously.

“Well for one, your bickering is a lot less frequent, and it lacks its usual hostility,” she noted, still typing on her computer. “And you two are on the same page more often than before.”

It was a shift that everyone on the council had noticed. Since that fateful meeting when they were assigned to the project, they’d started agreeing rather than attacking, proposing solutions together instead of throwing each other under the bus. Such a polar shift had raised concern initially, but Allura and Shiro assured that everything was alright.

“Well, yeah… that kind of happens when you spend a lot of time with someone,” Keith defended, fixing a glare at the freshman. She was fishing for something, and he wasn’t keen on just giving it up.

Lance just wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders. The latter hadn’t even realized how habitual it had become until now, but he wasn’t about to complain. The taller teen was _very_ comfortable, and his presence and contact was something that Keith often found himself seeking out now.

“Right,” Pidge nodded skeptically. She didn’t pry further, rather, turning her screen toward them. A table displayed their exhausted expenses and the amount of money left in their budget. She’d also taken the liberty of arranging their proposed costs into the table, as well.

“Wow, and we haven’t even touched the $300 that you set aside, either!” Lance remarked.

“Nope, you two saved us _a lot_ of extra cash! As long as we can keep a bit to return, I’m sure we’ll be rewarded with a lot more flexibility for future activities,” Pidge cheered excitedly.

“Oooo, Allura’s gonna appreciate that!” Keith beamed. Now they’d just have to pull the dance off without a hitch. He could already feel his re-election for next year in the bag!

“Yeah she is!” Lance agreed, high-fiving his partner enthusiastically. “And it looks like we have enough money left over to rent that surround sound equipment! I’m gonna go call that guy and get it sorted right now!”

As Lance skipped out of the room, Pidge slid her laptop aside to level a knowing look at Keith. The older teen shifted uncomfortably, eyes looking everywhere except at her.

Finally, with a long, drawn-out sigh, Pidge asked simply, “What happens after the dance?”

Keith inhaled sharply. Of all the things he’d been expecting, he hadn’t thought Pidge would’ve asked that. He’d expected a direct, “Do you like him?” or an adamant, “Just ask him out you moron!” Somehow, answering this question was more terrifying than either of those.

“…I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. His eyes fell upon her owlish hazel ones. The freshman’s face was far more sympathetic, and she reached across the table to pat his hand sympathetically.

“You should talk to him about that.”

It was all the advice she offered before retracting her hand and turning to pack her laptop away. Lance returned, then, wearing an excited smile.

“We got it! And for half the price!”

Pidge raised a brow. “How’d you swing that?”

Lance rolled his eyes playfully. “Oh, Pidge, you seriously doubt my charms?”

“You seriously think you have any?” Keith snorted, causing Lance to gasp and hold a hand over his chest with a wince.

“Shot down by my own partner! What a cruel world!”

Keith grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the door. “Come on, drama queen, let’s go catch the rest of the game! You know how Shiro gets when we aren’t there to cheer him on. I swear, you two have more in common than you think.”

Pidge trailed them out the door, not wanting to third wheel as they started playfully arguing about Keith’s “poor” taste in music. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and recorded their antics, knowing that they’d thank her for it when she played it at their wedding.

 

* * *

  

Lance cheered as Shiro and Keith rolled the red carpet down the hallway leading to the ballroom. “Alright, now it’s official!”

The team had been busy setting decorations and equipment up around the ballroom all morning. The hotel had been courteous enough to let them rent the room for the entire day, giving them ample time to set up and still be able to change into their own formal/costume attire.

Keith dusted his hands off as they placed the end of the carpet down. It was thirty feet long, and they had velvet ropes to line it with closer to the doors. As guests set foot inside, they’d be greeted by two photo stations on either side, one Halloween themed, with masks and costume props, and the other Harvest themed, featuring haystacks and barrels. Two smaller photo booths also stood on either side of the ballroom for anyone who wanted their own, more intimate pictures.

Just past the photo stations stood three long tables, vacant for now. The food prep team was back at the school, cooking everything up in the culinary classrooms. Hunk promised to deliver everything an hour before doors were set to open, so for now the tables only held piles of candy and chocolate.

Tables and chairs covered in alternating white and orange linens surrounded the designated dancefloor. Gourds crafted into jack-o-lanterns with masks formed the centerpieces, battery-powered candles keeping the insides alight.

The stage was outfitted with a microphone stand for announcements, a booth for Rax’s DJ equipment, and two thrones designed to look like they were crafted for the rulers of the underworld. They were also planning on hosting a costume contest, with the grand prize being a $50 gift card.

Two voting booths bordered the stage, each outfitted with a tablet set to a program designed by Matt to automatically tally votes for both competitions.

After setting up the velvet ropes and securing the doors, Keith fell into Lance’s arms as the rest of the student council applauded their hard work. Allura patted each of them on the back with a bright grin before taking the stage. Matt followed after her, turning the sound system on so she could test it.

“Hello? Check, one, two?” she echoed into the mic a few times before she beamed with satisfaction. “Thank you all for dedicating your time to helping us set up! Let’s give another hand to our new ‘power couple,’ Lance and Keith, for planning and organizing all of this!”

Keith’s cheeks darkened at Allura’s choice of words, and when he locked eyes with her and she winked, he knew she’d said it purposely.

“We’re going to break now so that everyone can get dressed up!” she continued after the applause died down. “Please be back half an hour before we’re ready to start so we can run through our last check.”

Shiro helped her down the stage’s stairs as the team began to disperse. She called out to Lance and Keith before they could escape. “Boys! A word, please?”

“Oh boy, what did we do?” Lance murmured to Keith jokingly as they turned to face the president and vice president. Keith attempted to cover up his laugh with a cough, but it only made Shiro pat his back worriedly.

“I’m fine,” he assured, prompting Lance to guffaw not-so-subtly.

Allura raised a brow at them, but shrugged it off just as quickly. “Will you two be staying here with us to keep an eye on things?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lance nodded, fishing his keys out of his pocket. “I was just going to retrieve my clothes and prep bag from my car.”

“And I was going to grab my things out of Shiro’s car,” Keith agreed.

“I actually put both of our stuff behind the stage,” Shiro supplied, gesturing to the curtain with a thumb.

“Oh… then I guess I’ll be in the handicapped stall of the nearest restroom if anyone needs me,” he chuckled, looking to Allura for further instruction.

The class president only nodded, waving them off. Keith immediately went to find his bag while Lance strolled out the doors. As soon as they were out of earshot, she tugged Shiro close.

“So what’s the plan? Are we rigging the vote?”

Shiro snorted, grasping her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “Relax, Allura. You’re more stressed about their relationship than you are about the dance!”

Allura sighed, forcing herself to calm down. “I know, but it’s been _weeks_ , Shiro, and while they’re definitely acting warmer toward each other, they haven’t taken any other steps.”

“Allura, you can’t force them into anything, nor do you have to. They’ll get there on their own.”

“Fine,” Allura huffed, arms crossed and lips fixed into a pout.

Shiro chuckled before pushing her gently toward the doors. “Come on matchmaker, let’s get you gussied up.”

 

* * *

 

“Why are you even bothering with makeup?” Keith asked curiously, watching Lance’s steady hand touch up the slightly smudged lines along the lids of his eyes.

The brunet took his time before responding, keeping each line even and equally thick. Keith was floored by how neat each stroke was. When he was satisfied, Lance finally met the eyes of his reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Because I want to,” he shrugged. “I really enjoy doing makeup, and I’m thinking about studying cosmetology.”

“But you don’t need it.” The words slipped from his mouth before he even considered them, full of conviction. He was suddenly grateful for the vacancy of the restroom in spite of the party raging on just down the hallway.

Lance’s brows rose, and he studied Keith with a scrutinizing look. “You… what do you mean by that?”

Keith gulped as he racked his brain for some way to cover his words. Pidge’s words suddenly raced through his mind.

_“What happens after the dance?”_

_“You should talk to him about that.”_

He took in Lance’s appearance. He was pleasantly surprised that the brunet had elected to dress formally rather than spookily. His navy suit was tailored perfectly to his lean figure. Sleek black shoes matched the slim belt around his hips and black dress shirt. A royal blue bowtie was fastened at his collar, and a similarly-colored handkerchief stuck out of his pocket, complimenting his eyes. He had to admit that the eyeliner did accentuate the rich color of his irises very nicely. Still…

“I mean you’re naturally gorgeous,” he finally stated, then added as an afterthought, “ _I_ think you’re naturally gorgeous.”

Keith clenched his fists and shut his eyes, fearful of Lance’s reaction. He couldn’t even look at his reflection.

Suddenly, there was a hand squeezing his shoulder. _Oh no, here comes the letdown…_

“Keith, hey…” When he refused to open his eyes, another hand cupped his cheek tenderly. “Keith, please look at me.”

His eyes blinked open, immediately meeting deep cobalt ones. He could feel tears brimming along his eyelids. The hand on his shoulder slid down his arm until it was holding one of his fists, coaxing it open and interlocking their fingers.

“Are you just saying that to be nice or…?”

Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s ignorance, giving a small smile as he sniffled. “Yeah, and there are tears in my eyes because I’m allergic to toilet paper.”

“Wait, so…” Lance’s brows furrowed slightly as he connected the dots. After an agonizingly long second, his entire expression lit up in realization. “You like me? Like you actually like me?”

_Geez, it really was like middle school! Apparently, the furious blush darkening his cheeks was totally appropriate._

“Yes, Lance, I actually do like you. I have for a long time. And I’m glad that I got paired to do plan HOCO with you. This whole process would’ve been a nightmare with anyone else.”

“I feel the same way,” Lance agreed with a dazzling smile, though it faltered just as quickly as it came. “But what happens after it’s over?”

Keith also frowned, squeezing the hand clasped with his thoughtfully. “I’ve been wondering the same thing. I don’t want to let this go.”

_I don’t want to let you go._

“Well the end of HOCO doesn’t have to mean the end of _this._ Besides, we still have to have our movie marathon,” Lance proposed hopefully.

“Yeah, and I still have to scare the pee out of you...” Keith nodded with a sly grin. “So what does that mean?”

“That means we give this, ‘ _energy,’_ between us a try. And we see where it takes us.”

“I’d like that,” Keith agreed, leaning in to kiss Lance’s cheek. Lance’s hand on his cheek kept him close, sliding down to cup the back of his neck. Keith’s arms wrapped around his neck in response as he pulled him in for a proper kiss.

“I’d like that, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Come scream at me on Tumblr [@after-midnightmunchies](https://after-midnightmunchies.tumblr.com) :P


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